On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:02:34 -0800 (PST), pantagruel
wrote:

Any advice, including of course just buy the good boat, I could use
that to help convince my girlfriend of it.

My advice would be to buy the boat in the country or region where you
want to do most of your cruising. Crossing the north sea or English
Channel in a typical houseboat could be a dangerous trip that will
require lots of preparation and experience if at all.